Swapped Around

Ten~ Out at Sea

It has been a couple of weeks since we left Spain for America. We have been out at sea for ages with hardly any sight of land anywhere. I don't really care though because I'm with a new family and I'm happy.

"Daddy! Daddy, come look!" I yell, standing on tiptoes and grabbing onto the wooden railing that ran around the edge of the ship.

The familiar bright-eyed country who I had learnt to call my dad appeared from below deck, sticking his head up through the trapdoor. "What's up, little dude?" He calls, climbing out and hugging me from behind.

"Look, see!" I giggle, letting him pick me up as we look out over the endless blue ocean. I reach out and point at the silvery splashes that mar the surface. "Look at all those big fish!"

America squints out, spotting the shapes as well. "They're called Dolphins, Iggy. They're like massive fish, but not quite as massive as whales." He tells me.

"Wales isn't that big." I reply grumpily.

"What?"

"Wales!" I say. "You know, my big brother?" How could he know about me if he didn't know my brothers? I look into his face, which still looks confused, with one eyebrow slightly curved down and the other raised.

"I'm bigger than him." I add proudly.

"Y-you have a brother?" He stammers in disbelief. I slowly nod. Maybe he's just very stupid or forgetful. I mean, he would have tried to find out as much as possible about my country before he took me in, right? He then says one of their words which I don't know, muttering under his breath.

"What does that mean?" I ask, turning away from the sea as he puts me down on the floor again. I frown, clinging onto his shirt.

"Iggy, let go." He sighs slightly exasperatedly, detaching my hand. "I'll tell you what it means when you're a little bit older, okay? Now, I need to go and talk to Canada, so you stay here and be good."

I whine slightly, reaching up and tugging on his hand. "But I'll be lonely~" I cry, swinging back and forth on my heels.

America has a weird expression on his face as he makes me let go again. "If you're lonely, go play with France. He'll keep you company. Last time I saw him he was up at the wheel with the nice sailors, why don't you check there?"

"But I don't like France!" I moaned. "He wanted me to stay at home even though I want you to be my daddy 'cause you said you would and you're niiice!"

"W-what about your Brothers?" America asks uncertainly. "Look, England, we didn't know you had brothers, and we should have told them before we took you in. I need to figure this out with Canada, so please don't follow me, okay? Just for this once, and then I'll play with you for as long as you want."

"B-but...." I sniffle, wiping my eyes. "Okay...."

America dives through the trial door again, landing with a resounding crash on the wooden planks below. Before I have to listen to him getting chewed out by an angry sailor, I skitter off to the raised platform above the captains cabin to where France should be.

"Angleterre!" France squeals as he sees me, leaning over the twisted oak railings that look out over the deck. His hair is tied back with a piece of rope that the captain had given him to keep it out of the way.

I turn up my nose at him, sniffing. "You smell like cheese. Leave me alone." I reply with as much dignity as I can, gaining a couple of laughs from the sailors up by France's side.

"Ye'd make a good pirate lad, with tha' attitude!" One of them chortles. I scowl at him, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Daddy said pirates are bad."

"And who told ye' to listen to yer dad?" He retorts. I feel tears prick at the corners of my eyes even though he didn't really insult me. I fold my slightly chubby arms over my chest and frown at the wooden plants beneath my feet. "C'mon, lad, t'was just a joke." He adds, seeing my expression.

France slides down the smoothly polished railing and lands with a clumsy thud by my side. Grabbing my hand, he drags me over to the front of the boat, and points out across the water. "Look!"

"What is it? I don't see anything." I grumble, trying to go and find America but his hand holds me back.

"Look!" He insists, still pointing. "You can see America!"

"But America's below deck talking to the other one..." I mumble. Suddenly a spark of worry appears. "Is he drowning? France, is daddy alright? Man overboard! M-man over-mmnmf!"

France puts his hand over my mouth. "No, zhe country America."

"What we're there already?!" I shrieked in excitement, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him violently before tumbling around a few laps of the ship and clattering down the ladder below deck, and landing on the head of an unsuspecting polar bear sleeping on the poop deck.

"Who are you?" It mumbles, blinking at me with its cute little eyes.

"Uh, what? You talk? Um..... Oh, right! Are you another one of those mythical creatures that big brother Ali' told me about?" I stumble over the words, confused. The bear slowly shakes its head, but doesn't say anything else.

"Um... Sorry for falling on your head Mr. Bear. Did I hurt you? I'm sorry if I did, but I'm in a hurry right now."

"Who are you?" It asks again, although I and already taken off down the slippery hall way, proceeding to crash into the back of someone's legs. Being small, I stagger back a little and land with a thump on the floor. The person turns around expectantly, smiling when he saw who it was.

"Daddy!" I greet, holding my arms out to him.

"Iggwad! Whatcha' doing? I thought you were with France." He asks, scooping me up and tossing me in the air a little. I giggle slightly.

"We're in America! Daddy, we're in you!" I say delightedly, clapping my hands in his face.

"Are we already?" He asks in exaggerated disbelief. "Come one up then, let's go and see." He chuckles, tossing me playfully over his shoulder upside down and making me squeal with excitement.

"Daddy?"

"Yup?"

"Why does the bear talk?"

"What bear?"

"The little fluffy white one who was sleeping underneath the trap door."

"Oh him! He's Canabro's pet, he doesn't say much."

"What about the rabbit?" I ask curiously.

"Rabbit? I haven't seen one on the boat, are you sure?"

"The little green one with the wings! He's been flying around all over the place!" I use my arms, while still upside down, to gesture. "You must have seen him, daddy."

America is quiet for a few seconds, which is strange because he's normally making loads of noise. Then, "Have any of the sailors given you any funny things to drink recently, England?"

"No......"

He swings me upward to sit on his shoulders as we walk up the deck and look out from the prow of the boat. The cold wind ruffles our hair and my eyebrows. "Is America big?" I ask, patting his hair playfully.

"In what sense?" He replies with a snicker. I scowl.

"What's so funny? I just mean is the actual country thingy big?"

"Sure! A lot bigger than anything you've seen in Europe." He smiles, pointing out to a slowly approaching city on the dark shadow moving closer out of the sea mist. Strange, it was sunny a few moments ago.

"You're not going to make me go away, are you?" I ask uncertainly as the shadowy buildings draw closer. America lifts me off his shoulders and hugs me tightly to his chest.

" 'course not!"